So today’s post is a combination book review/parenting tip/amusing child story. Just so you have a little background….of my 3 children, 1 is a pretty adventurous eater and actually enjoys vegetables, 1 is a meat & potatoes kind of eater (the saltier and fattier the meat, the starchier and whiter the carbs…the better) though he does love fruit, and 1 of them eats about 3 things total (this is where you scan hear my mom shouting something about paybacks and heredity and karma). So several years ago I heard about this book, Deceptively Delicious (check out the whole blog for all kinds of fun ideas etc…there’s even a second book out now), and thought is sounded like a genius idea. Somehow I just didn’t quite get around to it, (like with lots of the greatest ideas). But last week that all changed. I ended up with a copy, read it cover to cover and felt inspired! (Also enjoyed the photography immensely and thought that would have been a fun job.) While everyone was at school I shopped, pureed and cooked, knowing that if they saw any of the preparation, there would be no tasting of anything. Here’s what I tried and how it all went…..
Ahhhh, mini chocolate-y donuts with added sugar. (I altered the recipe and added cocoa powder in the hopes of making them even more tempting for my first offering) Well, the biggest tried one and said it was “alright”. Not the highest praise, but he ate it, so I’ll take it. The littlest one couldn’t believe there were donuts and that she could have as many as she wanted. She took advantage and ate a bunch. Hooray! She really liked them. The middle child (who is the one I feel certain is allergic to beta carotene) took one bite, did the whole gagging routine, and wanted to spit it out. I did make her swallow that bite, but there was no more “donut” going into that kid. I’m baffled. How did she know? Is it possible she has more sensitive taste buds or something wacky like that and that might explain the aversion to vegetables? (Truth be told, when I tried the donuts, I could totally taste the veggies. Next time MORE chocolate!)
Next on the menu, yummy chocolate fondue dipping stuff.
Apples, graham cracker and blueberries for dipping. Yummy and pretty! The big one tried it and liked it, the little tried it and loved it (though she did go get the pretzels to dip in it, which actually turned out to be my favorite too),and the middle one wouldn’t try it at all. She said she didn’t feel like any right now. What? Not feel like chocolate? I wonder if she is suspicious? Anyway, I really liked this stuff and couldn’t taste anything besides chocolate….seems about perfect to me!
Now for some breakfast…
Alright, so the bacon isn’t exactly turkey bacon but I wanted something to tempt them to the table in the first place. Don’t know what I was thinking with this one. None of them are really egg eaters to begin with…should have gone with a high carb breakfast to start with…french toast, pancakes, something like that, because none of them even tried the mini egg souffle things. They did, however, manage to choke down their bacon. Their dad and I enjoyed the eggs though….too bad for them.
And finally, the most successul recipe of them all….
That’s right, chicken-ish noodle soup. The chicken is pureed first so you can’t really see it. They are not fans of chunks of things. Also, whole grain noodles, which they didn’t even notice or complain about. Now I did put a lot of sliced carrots in there (not shown in the photo), for me and the little kid, and did (wimpily) give the option to the others of having no carrots in theirs. I figure I’m ok with that because of all the other goodies in there. Here’s where it gets tricky. The big, the little, the dad and I ate a bunch of it. Really liked it. The middle didn’t want any. “Not hungry for soup” she said. Hmpf. (Just in case you are keeping track…she tried one thing with disastrous results, and then didn’t want any of the others.) Sadly, she is also the most stubborn of them all and the more you persuade, and tempt, and cajole, the less she wants anything to do with it. This is true with everything, but especially food. Apparently she has a special vegetable sensor built in and knows when to avoid things.
Anyway, I’m not giving up yet. There are a few more recipes in the book that I am planning to try, though I may go halvsies on the purees and see if that throws off her sensor. I’ll keep you posted. Have any of you tried these recipes? Anyone have any success with these or any other vegetable recipes?
